Abstract
Roadkill, or vehicle-related mortality, occurs on a global scale in every environment. A multitude of environmental and anthropogenic factors, such as season, weather, barometric pressure, traffic rates, etc., all influence roadkill. The two state parks in Key Largo, Florida (Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park), are amongst the worst for roadkill of Florida’s state parks. This study used spatial analysis to determine the extent of roadkill along County Road 905 from 1990 to 2019 within Key Largo’s state parks. Summer (May-July) and fall (August-October) seasons were higher in counts of roadkill than winter (November-January) or spring (February-April), and mammals were the most prevalent organism. Areas immediately around where Card Sound Road meets County Road 905 Had the highest occurrences of roadkill. Areas at the edge of the study area were considered areas of least concern. The determination of vulnerable areas provided candidate areas for future roadkill reduction strategies to reduce the impact of roadkill. It was recommended that park managers, in collaboration with other government agencies, implement signage, wildlife fences, and corridors in the vulnerable areas to best reduce roadkill. Though this study provides a basic understanding of roadkill on Key Largo, more research is needed to gain a complete picture. Failure to act on roadkill may result in the silent reduction of Key Largo’s biodiversity. This study acts as an important starting point for future management by providing a basic analysis of the impacts of roadkill in two of Florida’s state parks.